Ninau
by Leni-H50
Summary: Steve's family is being interrogated after his arrest. Can they find a way to get him released? It may be up to the one person who always seems to help get him out of a bind. Heavy Steve, Danny and Catherine. O/c also.
1. Chapter 1

Ninau

Danny entered HPD headquarters and proceeded directly to his desk. It was the same desk that he sat at just nine months ago. So much has happened in such a short period of time. Little did he know that his life would change so drastically on that one day when he was given the assignment of investigating the murder of John McGarrett. It was never a pleasant task, homicide meant someone was dead, but it was his specialty. This was the murder of a retired police officer. A murder that was in cold blood, the killer known. A murder that occurred because of the action of the victim's son, a Navy SEAL just doing his job, so everyone thought. Little did he know that those events would lead him through a journey of a lifetime. He would have never guessed that the investigation would give him a prestigious position as one of the leads in the Governor's task force, that it would introduce him to his best friend, and find him a family here on this pineapple infested island that he has grown to appreciate. He would never have predicted that it would all fall apart so quickly, so easily, and that he would end up back where he started and his partner would end up in jail for killing the same Governor who put them together in the first place.

"_Danny, I just want to let you know that they are bringing in Steve's associates for questioning. I thought you should be prepared." _Chin whispered to Danny as he leaned over his desk.

"_Who are they bringing in? Oh Chin, have the ballistics results come in yet?"_ Danny questioned

"_No, they are taking their sweet time with that. He pissed off a lot of people at HPD and I'm afraid that they are taking advantage of this situation. They are going to delay as much as possible."_ Chin responded

"_Who are they bringing in anyway and why? Once the evidence comes back, it has to show that he's innocent. Chin, can't you do something…Lieutenant?"_ Danny was condescending since Chin now outranked him.

"_Here comes Mary. Don't approach her, we need to seem impartial, that's the only way we can stay on this case. Got it Danny? Don't screw this up." _Chin was unusually forceful in his tone.

"_That's fine I won't but I would like to sit in on the interrogations. I need to make sure that the Chief doesn't pull any stunts."_ Danny asked

"_Fine, but do not say a word, understand?"_ Chin ordered

Mary sat in the hallway of HPD headquarters. She was directed to sit in the hallway that was between the holding cells and the interrogation rooms. There was a line of black metal folding chairs that were in full view of the officers. Mary scanned the room and took notice of Danny. Danny nonchalantly nodded his head, signaling to her that he was aware of her presence. Mary nodded back, not quite sure of what was going on. She had just arrived from Los Angeles, only to walk into a mess. She wondered why Danny hadn't come to at least say hello. She was shortly joined by Kamekono, Jenna, and Kono. They sat for hours being ignored by anyone who passed. Mary was beginning to lose her patience. She began to become vocal and was demanding answers.

"_Why did you guys drag us down here? So we can sit here all day? What the hell is going on? I want to talk to Chin Ho Kelly or Daniel Williams, NOW!"_ she was irate.

Danny wanted to jump out of his chair and go to them, but he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't risk being taken off this case. Chin quietly approached and informed them that they will just be a few more minutes. They were waiting for one more person and then one by one they will be questioned.

A few moments later the doors opened and in walked a very tired looking Catherine Rollins. She was in her full dress navy uniform, the uniform that was reserved for special events and funerals. She wasn't quite sure how this fit in. She carefully approached Mary and gave her a hug.

"_Everything's going to be ok. It has to be."_ She tried to reassure Mary, but her face was unconvincing. Her beautiful brown eyes were red and swollen, partially from the long helicopter ride from the Enterprise, but mostly from the tears that were shed along the way.

Off in the distance Mary spotted a prisoner being escorted in their direction. She looked curiously at him until she realized that it wasn't just any prisoner, it was her brother, Steve. She gasped covering her mouth with her hands.

The others turned and looked at him in shock.

He appeared unrecognizable. The once tall confident Naval officer, was now a hunched over broken man. He was dressed in orange with shackles on both his hands and legs. They were connected by a chain, just barely long enough for him to stand upright. His face was drawn; his lips dry, the blue from his eyes faded to a dull shade of gray and the gray in his hair seemed more noticeable. He aged years in just a few hours. 48 hours to be exact.

Catherine choked back her despair and took a deep breath. She did not expect herself to react so emotionally, but she couldn't help it. Her relationship with Steve was always very casual, but since he had left the SEALs and settled in one place, their relationship had grown to become much more serious. Knowing he was safe and in one place, instead of chasing terrorists around the world had caused her to let her guard down and she had allowed herself to fall in love. She couldn't believe it, but she almost wished that he was back in the Navy. Who would have thought that being here was more dangerous?

Mary had begun to show the emotional distress that this entire situation had inflicted on her. She was an emotional wreck. She tried to keep up her tough girl persona, but it was obvious that she was having a hard time dealing with this. Mary was taking this hard because despite the fact that she and Steve had spent so much of their lives apart, she had always looked up to him. She would never admit it to him, but she was so proud of him growing up. He was the star quarterback for their high school team. He handled his mother's death with dignity, much better than she did. He graduated from Annapolis with honors and his career in the Navy made her very proud. It was very difficult for her to see Steve this way. "_How could they not know that he is innocent_" she thought to herself. Kono was still reeling from the events of Thursday evening. She could not shake the vision of Steve being booked at the precinct. That was the only image that she saw every time she closed her eyes.

Jenna just stared. It was difficult for her to process what was happening. She couldn't help but feel the guilt. _"This is my fault, if I didn't come here and tell him about Wo Fat, he would never be in this situation. You guys gave me a home and now it's gone, because of me."_ She began to cry.

Kamekono sat in silence. He was concerned for his friend and he was concerned for himself. If the police somehow linked the gun that Steve had in his procession, to him, then he would be sent back to jail.

"_Guys listen to me, first of all this is no one's fault. He would have eventually put this all together and we would have probably ended up in the same position. I know him better than everyone here and I promise you that this is his fault only. He never listens to anyone, he's been lucky up to now, but now he is facing the consequences of his actions. It was a matter of time before he ended up like this. Actually I thought he was dead when I saw HPD on the caller id. I guess we have something to be grateful for. Though, I think I am going to have to kill him when this is over" _You could easily see that she was beyond frustrated. _"Now putting blame aside, it's up to us to make sure that we don't give them anything that may incriminate him. Once ballistics comes in with the evidence that he didn't do it, then this will be all behind us. I have a feeling that they know what the results will be and that are looking for some other way to pin this on him. When they walk him past us, do not react! Do not say a word. Do not approach him or try not to make eye contact."_

"_How can you say that? He'll think that we are abandoning him_" Mary was beginning to freak out.

"_Believe me it's not easy for me either. He will understand, he knows what they are doing. This is the oldest trick in the book. They brought us all her to play mind games with him. They are using us. They want him to see us and us to see him. They are expecting an outburst from us. They want him to feel guilty and confess to relieve us of our sorrow. They want us to feel bad for him and give them any information they ask for, to try to "save" him. The Navy uses this technique all the time in interrogations. I know it's hard, but it's so important that we stay strong."_

"_How do you know all this?"_ Asked Jenna

"_We all have our specialties, and this was one of mine_" Catherine responded _"Here he comes, stay strong"_

Slowly they walked Steve directly in front of where his family was sitting. The guards had slowed the pace as they approached, hoping for a reaction of some sort. Steve tried to keep his head down as he passed, he too knew what the technique was and he knew with Catherine there, she would have known also. The guards grabbed the back of his head by the hair and pulled his head up. Steve stared straight ahead trying not to look at his family. The guards began to torment, as far as they were concerned he was guilty and if he weren't, it didn't matter to them. He had busted enough dirty cops to make quite a few enemies there. The one guard leaned close to Steve's ear and began to whisper. Steve wanted to rip his head right off his shoulders, but fortunately for them he couldn't. He did make note of their names, for future reference. "_Hey look, don't you want to see your friends before we lock you up for good? Four hot chicks, how did you get so lucky? I guess you gotta be a bad boy to get chicks now a day. I wonder who's more fun in bed. The blonde, the island girl, the tomboy, or I bet it's the Navy chick, she looks high quality? I guess one of us will have to keep them busy while you're locked up. We'll keep them warm for you, don't worry" _They went on and on, both laughing. Steve's blood was boiling, but he knew that he needed to keep his head down and stay cool.

"_Breathe, one... two...three..."_ he thought to himself.

It was so difficult for him not to look. He desperately wanted to tell them each how much he loved them and that he was innocent. How they were each important to him in their own special way. They were his family, his only family, and it was killing him inside. As he was escorted passed them he couldn't help but feel the guilt of what he has inflicted on each of them. _"Kono is probably going to lose her badge because of my stupid idea to steal the money. Jenna might never get her revenge on Wo Fat, now that he knows we are after him. Who is going to keep Mary out of trouble? Komekono, oh no, he'll most likely go back to jail if they somehow trace the gun back to him. He was just trying to help me. I hope he keeps his mouth shut. And then there is Catherine. I would be surprised if she still speaks to me after all this. If I could just explain myself and tell her how much she means to me"._ Steve took a deep breath trying to get all the negative thoughts out of his mind. _"Ooh that scent?"_ He suddenly grabbed a whiff of her perfume, Catherine's perfume, the scent of jasmine lightly drifted throughout the room. That was hard for him to ignore. He calmly breathed in, closing his eyes tightly, as he tried to embed the memory of that scent in his mind. He knew that it could be a long time before he would see them again, before he could relive that scent. He desperately tried to keep his head down, but he needed one short peek. _"One short peek won't hurt."_ He thought to himself. He looked up from the corner of his eye and saw them all sitting, staring straight ahead, tears filling their eyes, even Shave Ice looked sad. As he looked up, he caught Catherine's eyes; she too was looking from the corner of her eye. She couldn't help it either. They made brief eye contact and for that one split second, it felt like an eternity to both of them.

Steve and the guards had finally reached the end of the hallway and entered into one of the interrogation rooms, followed by Chin and the Chief.

"_OH MY GOD! That was so hard_" exclaimed Mary

"_I know_" replied Catherine in a very soft scratchy voice _"believe me it was important that we stay strong. When they call us in for questioning, it's important that we keep our statements short and only answer the questions they ask. No extra information. Kono and Jenna, especially you guys, you have a lot of information that they may not even know you have. Think about what you will answer before you say anything. Jenna…do you understand_?" Catherine had faith in Kono, but she was worried about Jenna.

"_Yeh, of course. You're really good at this_." She responded

"_It's what I do and we have to protect Steve. They are going to twist every word we say, so be very careful. If you think your answer will make him look guilty, then refuse to answer. Now, if you'll excuse me for a minute."_ Catherine stood up and asked one of the officers to direct her to the restroom.

"_She's tough, didn't crack once, no wonder Steve likes her" _commented Kamekono to the others.

Catherine briskly walked in the direction of the restrooms, holding her breath the entire way. She entered the ladies room, surveyed the room, and noted that she was alone. She stood in front of a sink, looked at herself in the mirror and immediately broke down crying. She completely fell apart, she was out of control, a feeling that she hated. The tears uncontrollably came streaming down her face. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and her throat felt as if she had swallowed a dozen knives. She let herself release for a few seconds and calmly collected herself. She washed her face, reapplied her makeup, and rejoined the others as if nothing had happened.

Just as she sat down an officer approached and announced _"Officer Kono Kalakaua, you're up." _

Kono was escorted into the interrogation room that was next to the one that Steve was taken to. She seemed frightened, but prepared to tell the truth. After all, Steve was innocent. That she was sure of. She knew that there was no way that he could have done what he is being accused of.


	2. Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

The room was barren, a chair, and a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The room was cold and the gray cement walls were depressing. One wall had a mirror on it. There was no doubt that it was a two way mirror. _"I wonder what or who is on the other side of that mirror"_ she thought to herself. Little did she know that it was Steve along with two police guards that sat at the other side of the wall. She had interrogated her share of suspects during her time in 5-O, but being on the other side felt strange. She was starting to gain a new sense of how the suspects must feel when they are being questioned.

Danny entered the room along with the Chief and a stenographer. Danny had taken his position in the corner as an observer. He had been warned to not interfere in the interrogations, but was more than prepared to step in if they got out of hand. The stenographer set up a small table and chair in the opposite corner. He didn't know the Chief very well and he wasn't sure if he genuinely wanted the truth or if he just wanted to close the case. Having the Governor and her assistant killed in his precinct was not good public relations. He needed to close this case as soon as possible.

The Chief took a seat opposite Kono and began to ask the questions.

Chief - "_Please state your name for the record"_

Kono - "_Kono Kalakaua, that's K A L A K A U A"._ She spelt out her name to make a point of making sure it was correct.

Chief - "_And what is your occupation?"_

Kono - _"Honolulu police officer assigned to the 5-O task force_." She rolled her eyes as she answered.

Chief – "_And what is your relationship to Steven J McGarrett_?"

Kono - "_He is my boss."_

Chief_ – "How long have you known McGarrett?_

Kono_ – "9 months"_

Chief - "_Where were you last night between the hours of 8pm and 11pm_?"

Kono - "_Are you kidding me? I was here! This is ridiculous!"_

Chief - "_Officer Kalakaua, you will answer the questions, got it?"_

Kono - _"Yes sir"_ she answered sarcastically "_I was here at HPD participating in a police lineup."_

Chief_ – "What was the lineup for?_

Kono_ – "You already know and that is irrelevant to why I am here"_

Chief – "_What is the relationship between the 5-O task force and Governor Jameson?"_

Kono – "_She is the one that put together the task force_"

Chief – "_What, in your opinion, was the relationship between McGarrett and the Governor?"_

Kono – "_He respected her, we all did."_

Chief – "_Do you think McGarrett is capable of killing her?"_

Kono – "_What?"_

Chief – "_Do you think McGarrett is capable of killing her?"_

Kono – "_No! Of course not!"_

Chief – _"What is the relationship between McGarrett and Laura Hills?"_

Kono – "_I don't know_. _There really wasn't one. She worked for the Governor and we sometimes collaborated on cases. After she died, we found out that she knew that the Governor was corrupt, but it was too late._

Chief – _"Why was McGarrett's prints all over her house? Were they in a relationship? Were they conspiring together to kill the Governor and when she wouldn't help, he had her killed? _

Kono – _"I don't know what you are talking about."_

Chief_ – "Are you sure?"_

Kono _– "Yes, I am very sure"_

Chief _– "Who is this Wo Fat guy?"_

Kono_ – "We were investigating him in connection with the murder of John McGarrett, his wife and Laura Hills?"_

Chief _– "What do you know about him?"_

Kono_ – "He is some sort of Yakuza crime lord"_

Chief _– "and?"_

Kono_ – "That's it"_

Chief – "_Officer Kalakaua, if you are withholding information, you will be charged with obstruction of justice. You are already being investigated, so don't push your luck. Tell us what you know!"_

Kono – _"I told you what I know. I don't know anything else! I can't believe that you are actually going through with this. McGarrett did not kill the Governor!"_

Chief – _"That's it get her out of here and send in McGarrett's girlfriend."_

Steve had sat during the interrogation quietly observing the process. He assumed his position of leaning forward with his hands covering his mouth. He was grateful that the guards had removed the shackles that attached his hand to his legs, giving him slightly more freedom of movement. He felt that this could give him the opportunity of escape. He would easily be able to take the two guards down, if he needed to, but his entire family was in the next room and that would just put them at risk. Not to mention the entire Honolulu Police department, that could just get him killed. He was placed in that specific room to observe the interrogation of his friends. Why the Chief felt the need to do this, he wasn't quite sure, but he was grateful that he was able to see what was happening. He was pleased with the way the rookie had handled herself.

Danny stood in his corner of the room, also proud of the way that Kono handled herself. There were several occasions during the interrogation that he wanted to interrupt and tell them how ridiculous this entire process was, but that would have resulted in his dismissal from the room and possibly the case. The announcement that they were bringing in Catherine Rollins next was intriguing to him. He had heard stories from Steve about their adventures in the Navy and he couldn't wait to see how she handled this process. He always envisioned her as a female version of Steve, but a lot prettier. He had a feeling the Chief was in for a big surprise.


	3. Chapter 3

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Chapter 3

Catherine entered the room. She was upset and nervous, but there was no way that she would ever let anyone see that. She had done this many times before. She had even trained many operatives in the art of interrogation during her time in Naval Intelligence. "_It has been a long time since I had done anything like this; I hope I still got it."_ She thought to herself. This felt different to her. Maybe because it was the life of someone that she cared about that was at risk. Maybe it was because she felt a sense of obligation to spare those that were sitting out there waiting for their turn. She was going into this blind. She had no idea what evidence there was against Steve, the only observation that she made was the burn marks that branded his neck. There was no doubt that they were from a stun gun. She had seen the same type of marks on his neck several months ago when his home was broken into. She took a deep breath and made her way to the center of the room. She quickly scanned the room and noticed the two way mirror; she immediately figured out that they have Steve on the other side watching. Watching to see what he is putting his family through. She looked directly at the mirror and winked.

Steve chuckled from the other side of the glass. He knew she had a plan and he just sat back in his chair a watched.

Chief- "_State your name for the record please_"

Rollins – "_Lieutenant Catherine Rollins"_

Chief – "_and what is your occupation?"_

Rollins – _"I work for Naval Intelligence_"

Chief – "_what do you do for Naval Intelligence?"_

Rollins – _"I am sorry but that is classified"_

Chief – "_You do know that we have ways of finding out. What is your relationship to Steven McGarrett?"_

Rollins – she hesitated, not knowing how to classify their relationship "_he's my friend_"

Chief – "_Just friends? How long have you known him?_

Rollins_ – "7 years_" she answered shocking herself with the number _"Has it really been that long?"_ She thought to herself.

Chief _- "Well then, are you aware of a relationship between McGarrett and Laura Hills?"_

Rollins – "_No_"

Chief – "_His fingerprints were found throughout her home. Perhaps they were romantically involved. Maybe she ended the relationship and he killed her. "_

Rollins – "_First of all, I know what you are doing and it won't work. He was not involved with her and if he were, he wouldn't kill her. Second of all, blowing up her car the same way his mother was killed? I don't think so._" She responded with confidence but the question had bothered her.

Chief – "_The last call McGarrett made before killing the Governor was to your cell phone. What did he tell you?"_

Rollins – "_I did not speak him_"

Chief – "_but he left you a message, what was the message?"_

Rollins – "_It's personal_."

Chief – "_you do realize that we have already retrieved it and are in the process of scrubbing his phone"._

Rollins – "_well then you already know what the message was. Why are you asking me questions that you already have the answers to? _She paused "_Oh… you couldn't figure out what it meant. Right?"_ She smirked a small victory.

Chief – "_You must cooperate Lieutenant. What did it mean? Was it a plan to help him escape? To meet him after he murdered the Governor and Miss Hills?"_

Rollins – "no_, it wasn't some elaborate plan and yes, I am cooperating. I am telling you that it's personal and I am not required to answer any of your questions. You should be happy that any of us are here at all. So, tell me, if you have already scrubbed his phone, then you must have the recording that he made of the incident."_

Chief – "_How do you know about the recording_?" The Chief was surprised. No one knew that the recording was recovered.

Rollins – "_Ah! So there was a recording. You have proof of his innocence, so why aren't you releasing him?_

Chief _– Again, how do you know about the recording?"_

Rollins – "_Knowing Steve,_ _that's the only reason he went there in the first place, to get some sort of confession. Now I have a question for you, why are you so quick to pin these murders on him when you have proof that he didn't do it? I bet there was no gunshot residue on his gloves also, right? And I am sure that the gun wasn't registered to him, right? What are you covering up?"_

Chief – "_That's enough!_"

"_Wow that was too easy. I forgot how good she was at this_" thought Steve. _"It has been a long time since I've seen her in action"_

Danny covered his mouth with his hands trying desperately to hide the smile that was evolving on his face. She was confronting him with suspicions that we they all had, but couldn't relay. He gently leaned against the wall and watched the scene that was unfolding before him.

Rollins – "_no it's not enough; I have plenty more to say! How involved are you? I bet you were conspiring with the Governor and want to know how much we know."_

Chief_- "That's ridiculous!"_

Rollins_ – "so if I were to have __**my**__ investigators look into your background, would there be any connection to Wo Fat?_

Chief_ – "get her out of here, now!"_

Rollins_ – "wait! I am not going anywhere". _She stood up, now she was in full control. She had somehow managed to turn the interrogation on to the Chief.

"_Tell me what the hell is going on. We all know…" _she pointed to Chin and Danny_, "…that there is more to this. We all know, including you, that he is innocent. The burn marks on his neck are clearly from a stun gun. I am sure ballistics will show, or have they already shown, that they occurred at the same time that the Governor was killed. There is no way he shot the Governor and what… stunned himself? Even you must find that a little ridiculous. You have a recording, and I am assuming that the murder is on there, and I am finding it hard to believe that the Governor's mansion does not have video surveillance. So Chief, I suggest you tell us what is really happening here or I will have to call in JAG and NCIS and whoever else needs to be here, to come in and do their own investigations. Don't forget McGarrett is still an officer of the Navy, a well-respected one! You may also want to keep this mind, once they start to investigate; you never know what else they'll find. Are you so sure that your officers are clean? Are you completely clean? Are you sure? We all have skeletons in our closets, are you ready for that door to open?_

Chief- _"fine!" _The Chief slowly paced back and forth across the room. He looked at Danny and at Chin; he even took a look at the stenographer. A tragic, guilty, expression covered his face._ "We were planning on releasing him after we questioned all of you. We do have the evidence and yes, it's pretty clear that he was framed. We needed to know what Five-0 knows about the Governor's corruption and her ties with Wo Fat and the Yakuza. Five-0 has been taking credit for every big bust, accusing my officers of being corrupt, and I am tired of being in their shadow. They never had to account for any of their actions, whereas, we forget to cross a T and IA is breathing down our necks. This was our chance to make a bust, a big bust, of our own. Of course we would have released him eventually, but…"_

Danny – "_Shut Up! You son of a bitch! Do you realize what you have done? Release him now. And if you think Five – 0 was on your ass before, you have no idea. _Danny's hands were flying in every direction.

Chin stood there stunned. He was shocked that the Chief could have acted so unethically. He knew now why he was so eager to offer him his job back with a promotion. Chin felt used.

Steve let out a laugh. He couldn't control himself. He was pissed off alright, but it was genius. Catherine had once again saved his ass. "_This is becoming a habit_" he thought to himself.

Just then the Chief, Chin and Danny entered the room where McGarrett was waiting. They removed the cuffs from McGarrett and told him he was free to go. McGarrett calmly approached the Chief and placed his face within inches of his "_I am not done with you_" McGarrett whispered. He shook Danny and Chins hands and proceeded to leave the room.


	4. Chapter 4

_**This is the final chapter and I just want to say thank you so very much for following this story. We are mutual fans of Steve and Catherine and I hope that we will see more of them in the future.**_

Ninau Chapter 4

As Steve walked out of the room, he was immediately surrounded by his loved ones.

"_Steve, what happened? You're free?"_ Mary ran up and hugged him

"_Yeh, Thanks to Cat, where did she go?"_ Steve asked as he scanned the room with his eyes.

"_She came out of the interrogation room and literally ran out the door_" said Jenna

Steve started to go after her, but was stopped by an officer. "_Excuse me, McGarrett but we need you to sign these forms before you could be released and you might want to change your clothes." _

"_Uh, ok. Danny, go find Cat please_" Steve instructed.

Danny immediately exited HPD only to find Catherine sitting on a bench in the park across the street.

"_Hey, you ok?"_ Danny approached very cautiously.

She looked up trying to wipe the tears that covered her entire face. "_Not really_" she answered.

He sat next to her on the bench. "_You were awesome in there. I have never seen anything like that in my entire career as a police officer"_ he said proudly

"_Well, it is kind of my specialty_" she smiled through the remaining tears.

"_Here_" Danny handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. _#1 DAD _was embroidered on it in pink.

"_Thanks Danny. _She paused and took a deep breath_ "I have to ask you a question and please be honest with me, ok?"_

"_Yeh, sure, anything, but first, I have a question for you. I have to know what the message that Steve left you that night was." _Danny asked, not sure that she would tell him, but he had to know.

She hesitated, not sure if Steve would want him to know, but decided to answer anyway. "_It was a message that Steve left for me every time he was deployed on a mission. We kind of had this thing. The other night, when I checked my messages, I knew that he was about to do something really dangerous. The message said __**"I will meet you here or there, but we will meet again somewhere".**_

"_What does that mean_?" Danny asked "_If you don't mind_"

She sighed_ "It means that if he returns, you know, alive, he will find where I am stationed and come to meet me. If he fails, he will wait and meet me in the afterlife. I know it's corny, but when I hear that message I know that he's scared. I kind of prefer him when he's scared, more than when he has that invincible thing going on. You know what I mean?" _She paused

Danny nodded in agreement. He understood what she meant.

"_Now it's my turn, why were Steve's fingerprints in Laura Hills' house? Was there something going on between them? Is that why Wo Fat had her killed, for payback?" _She asked the question that had bothered her since the questioning.

"_No. Absolutely not_." He looked around to see if anyone was near enough to hear what he was about to say. "_She had_ _discovered that the Governor had the evidence that was stolen from Steve's house. She was taking the evidence from the Governor and secretly sending them to him, one by one. She was helping us. He had never been to her house before she was killed. His prints were planted in her house to frame him .It was all part of the set-up. The Governor and Wo Fat really did a number on us. "_

She let out a sigh as she looked to the ground. "_Thank God. I mean… I knew they were trying to mess with my head, but… I am never here and I am sure that he..." _Her insecurity was showing.

"_Hold it right there" _Danny placed one hand on her shoulder and gently lifted her chin with his other. He wanted to be sure that she was looking at him when he spoke. _"I don't know you that well, but I have known Steve a while now and I like to think that we have become very close. I can tell you that I have never seen him with another woman. I have never heard him talk about anyone other than you. Actually he has had several opportunities and has always turned them down. I can tell that he cares about you a lot. Actually, I always know when you're in town; because it's the only time he has a smile on his face, the only time that he's happy." _Danny was truly sincere.

"_Thanks Danny_" she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"_Hey! I get put away for two days and you're already hitting on my girl" _Steve interrupted with a smile. _"Everyone's going to Kamekono's for Shave Ice, why don't you go and we'll meet you there." _He directed the instruction to Danny with a nod. Danny knew that was his clue to leave them alone.

"_Sure, I'll see you guys there."_ He looked at Catherine and winked at her with a small smile.

"_I don't know if I like you two being so friendly"_ Steve sat down next to her "_hey, you did good, thanks. I have to say that I was very impressed. That was really great."_ Steve said as he grabbed her hand.

"_Thanks. I knew they had you watching._ _They need to update their techniques a little"_ She replied "_but you know_, _it could have easily backfired"_

"_But it didn't. It worked, it's over for now_." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into him.

"_You still don't have Wo Fat, but I hope that you will think before you act. You may not be so lucky next time around and I might not be here to save your adorable little ass." _Catherine lectured.

"_Yes, mommy_" Steve replied with sarcasm. "_So… we're just friends, hey?"_ he asked sheepishly

"_Special friends… with benefits_" she raised her eyebrows and smiled.

"_Very special, I hope_." he smirked and kissed her "_let's go, they're all waiting for us. Give me the keys, I'll drive"_

"_No way, you are not driving my car_" she answered holding on to her keys tightly

"_Oh come on, please? Danny always lets me drive_" he pleaded

"_Well then maybe you should have gone with him, besides, I let you do things that you can't do with him" _she smirked

"_Point taken_." He answered

Slowly, arm in arm they walked toward the parking lot. The golden Hawaiian sun gently began to settle as the brilliant colors filled the sky.


End file.
